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[WEEK 10] Prem Preview: Pep Talk Needed; Benteke To Haunt Reds

Is Manchester United’s form actually that bad? Can Pep Guardiola wake Manchester City from their slumber? Will Arsenal prove the moon i...

Is Manchester United’s form actually that bad? Can Pep
Guardiola wake Manchester City from their slumber? Will Arsenal prove the moon
is made of cheese?

Biggest Certs
Of The Season?

Football’s a funny old game and all that but is there anyone
in the world who thinks Sunderland will beat Arsenal on Saturday? It looks one
of the biggest mis-matches in Premier League history whether you go with
current form or historical head-to-heads.

Let’s start in the present. Sunderland are hopeless. They’ve
yet to win in the Premier League this season and have just two points from nine
games. By contrast, Arsenal have won 10, drawn two and lost none of their last
12 games in all competitions.

They’ve also kept seven clean sheets in the last eight
matches. As for history, Sunderland have won just one of their last 25 matches
against the Gunners while Arsene Wenger’s men have 15 wins in that run. If
Arsenal don’t head south with all three points, the moon is made of cheese.

Pep Talk
Needed

Manchester City’s players must be a confused bunch. Pep
Guardiola spent the first 10 matches of the season spraying magic, turning City
from the underachievers of last season to a winning machine. But when Brendan
Rodgers’ Celtic somehow found the off switch, City haven’t been able to turn it
back on.

Their run of six matches without a win is the longest spell
Guardiola has endured in his managerial career. But it might not be over yet.
Next up is a trip to Tony Pulis’ West Brom and you can guarantee he won’t be
giving anything away for free.

And if City fail to win and endure a not-very magnificent
seven games without a win, there’s the little matter of a visit from Barcelona
in the Champions League next week.

Could Guardiola really go eight games
without a win and, if so, does a side who suffers that sort of drought really
deserve to be favourites to win the Premier League?

Too Much Mourinho
Fuss?

How rival fans laughed this week when, following his side’s
4-0 thrashing at Chelsea, Jose Mourinho described living in Manchester hotel as a “bit of a
disaster”.

But presuming United beat Burnley at Old Trafford on
Saturday, they will have six wins, two draws and a single defeat from their
last nine matches.

Is that really a club in crisis, especially when neighbours
City can’t buy a victory at the moment? Something still doesn’t quite seem
right with United but is it not a good sign that they’re still winning a good
chunk of matches while Mourinho works everything out (alone in his hotel room)?

Crystal Clear
For Strike Duo

Sadio Mane and Christian Benteke were both the subject of
£30m+ transfers this summer, one arriving at Liverpool, the other departing
Anfield for pastures new. For Jurgen Klopp, the deal made perfect sense. Mane
was a perfect fit for his system whereas Benteke was a square peg in a round
hole.

And, so far, it’s working out just swimmingly for all
parties. Mane has netted in four of his eight Premier League starts and been a
key man for the Reds while Benteke has finally given Palace a much-needed goal
threat, netting three in seven.

Interestingly, Mane has scored in three of his
four Premier League games against Palace while Benteke had a habit of scoring
against Liverpool (four in five top-flight matches) before joining the Reds.
With history and confidence behind them, how about both men finding the net at
Selhurst Park on Saturday and further justifying their big-money moves?

Would You Adama
And Eve It?

While everyone scratches their head at how bad Paul Pogba is
for all that ludicrous money, a man who made a summer move from relegated Aston
Villa to low-key Middlesbrough is making headlines all over the place for a
stunning man-of-the-match display at Arsenal.

Adama Traore played just 11 times for Villa in their woeful
2015/16 campaign and was eventually booted off the team for indiscipline. To be
honest it seemed a bit odd what he was doing there in the first place.

This is
a player who was on Barcelona’s books at the age of 8 and clearly has oodles of
potential. Pace, power, touch, he showed it all against Arsenal and looked a
star in the making.

Still just 20, Traore
has plenty still to learn but do Middlesbrough have a gem on their hands, a
player who could be the difference between them staying up or going down?